


This isn't How I Wanted This to Go

by orphan_account



Series: Peter and the Tower [22]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (mentioned) - Freeform, Angst, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Hurt, Everyone Loves Peter Parker, F/M, Hurt Peter Parker, Identity Reveal, Josie is scared, Male-Female Friendship, Out of Character Michelle Jones, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Break, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter wears everyone's clothes, Protective Lab Directors, Protective Michelle Jones, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Sleep Deprivation, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2020-12-09 17:15:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20998457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Peter accidentally reveals his identity to the Lab Directors and now must deal with the consequences.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all! It has been a fat minute since I posted last... life has been crazy! This popped into my head and I had to write it. Hope you guys like it!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING- Talks about death, eating disorders, and loss of family members

Peter was fucking stupid sometimes. 

He was having a rough day, okay? During patrol, he had got quite a few slashes and bruises. He was light-headed swinging back to the tower and his body felt weak. Maybe one of the knives had some drug or poison on them?

Peter didn’t know. His only goal was to get somewhere in the tower, somewhere safe. Finally, the tower was in sight; Peter almost cried from relief and quickened his pace. 

“Karen… open the window please,” he asked his AI. He slid into the building and took a breath of relief. He heard commotion but assumed it was one of the avengers making dinner. He pulled the tight mask off his face and looked around. 

Oh shit. 

This was not the Avengers’ floor. It was the LDs’.

And they were all currently sitting in front of him on the couches, doing scheduling for the next week. They look at him in shock. 

“Peter?” Josie asked quietly as she rose to her feet. All the LDs watched her stand, following every move made. It was never this quiet on Omri.

“Um? It’s not what you think?” He said, but it sounded like a question. Black spots were starting to cloud his vision. He took a step back and rammed into the TV stand as he tried to stay upright. 

Josie and the other LDs did not look impressed. Liam and Nora stood up as well, backing Josie.

“You're Spiderman,” Nora said quietly. Peter nodded but quickly regretted the motion as a wave of nausea rolled over him.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out. The black spots were getting more frequent. He looked were Josie was standing, shaking in anger and fists clenched tightly. 

“Damnit, Peter,” she whispered harshly. “Does Tony know?”

Peter nodded and swayed. Okay, maybe he should lay down. “Josie… mad later… help, please? I’m gonna…”

With those wise words, Peter tumbled onto the floor as his strength gave out. He vaguely heard movement around him and a few voices yelling at him. Someone squeezed his hand tightly and a weight dipped onto his chest. 

“-- Someone get--”

“Where’s Cho--”

“He needs a-”

“Josie, keep it toge--”

“Hold on bud--”

He tried to reassure them that he was fine, but he was out before anything could be done.

A beeping sound woke him up. Fucking hospitals. He whimpered lowly and jerked his head to the side. A hand shot out to grab his.

“Peter? It’s okay. You’re in the medbay,” A warm voice said. He opened his eyes slightly and caught the sight of Wanda and Natasha leaning over him. Wanda smiled softly when she saw him look at her and kissed his forehead gently. Natasha stayed in her place, holding his hand but looked somewhat distraught.

“What happened?” He asked through a rough voice.

“You got slashed on patrol with a poisonous blade. Thankfully, it wasn’t deadly and you’re system did most of the work flushing it out before you got here.” Natasha said. Peter had a bad feeling that was the good news.

“You also revealed your identities to all of the Lab Directors by demasking yourself in the middle of their meeting,” Wanda commented, making Peter groan. He was so fucked. They were as protective as Tony and MJ. And with what happened to Josie’s brother… she never wanted Peter near anything dangerous.

Speaking of, Peter heard yelling down the hall.

“What’s that?” He asked as he sat up.

“The LDs giving MJ and Tony a piece of their minds,” Nat responded with a smirk. Peter felt a feeling of dread wash over him.

“And Josie?”

“Locked herself in her room the second you got to the medbay,” Wanda explained with a grimace. Peter nodded to himself and took out the IVs. Wanda helped him stand.

“You feeling alright,  братишка?” Wanda asked as he leaned against her. 

“Just a little weak.”

She nodded and he quickly changed into a pair of clothes sitting on the chair for him. A gigantic sweater, which was Steve’s and a pair of pajama pants that he wasn’t sure were his or MJ’s. Once he was done. Wanda and Natasha returned to his side and helped him exit the room.

“I’m fine,” he complained loudly.

“Until you fall on your face,” Wanda retorted quietly, making the trio laugh.

They arrived in the waiting room, which honestly looked more like a war meeting. Tony and MJ were standing on one side and the LDs were on the other. Tony and MJ looked tired and sick of arguing, while the LD’s faces varied from anger to hurt.

“We should have known,” Ellis roared in Tony’s face, some of the LDs standing behind him quietly vocalized their support as well. Tony went to defend himself, yet was cut off again.

“He’s only 16! He can die, Tony. He’s not invincible!” Anne yelled from where she sat with teary eyes.

“I know,” Tony whispered, taking the onslaught. 

  
“What is going to happen one day when you're not there to save him?” Noah sneered angrily.

“I thought you want to protect him! And you too, MJ! You’re no better! You  _ let _ him go out every night and get beat to the brink of death!” Lewis yelled, as West barely managed to hold him back, also looking hurt.

“Don’t you think this is all too much for him? No wonder he’s always sleep deprived! Between interning, Spiderman, and school, he has no fucking time to do anything,” Alex argued as well.

“I tried to stop him,” Tony protested weakly as all his LDs ganged up on him.

“You should have tried harder,” Josie said in a quiet voice as she entered the room. Everyone froze. She walked through the crowd and right into Tony’s face. She didn’t hesitate to meet his eyes in a cool, broken glare.

“You know… my brother tried to be a fucking hero too,” she said. Everyone had to strain to hear her in the quiet room. “And you know what happened to him?”

“Josie. Don’t. That’s not going to happen to-”

“How the fuck do you know?” Josie exploded in MJ’s face. “How the fuck do you know Peter won’t jump on a fucking grenade because of a terrorist? How do you know he won’t choose to save everyone instead of himself?”

A sob ripped from her throat. 

“You know Jason was 15 years old? He was 15 when he jumped on that bomb to save a little girl that he didn’t know,” She hissed. 

Tony and MJ stayed silent. 

“Tell me. Tell me Peter wouldn’t do that,” she said challengingly. 

“We can’t,” MJ said, not meeting Josie’s eyes. 

Josie nodded as more tears ran from her eyes. “I’m going to lose another brother, Stark. And this one? This one’s on you.”

She turned and ran out of the room, everyone hearing her muffled cries as she left.

“Let’s go, guys. We have nothing else to say,” Marissa said as she left the room. The LDs followed her, all shooting Tony one last look of disappointment and sadness before exiting.

“What a fucking disaster,” Tony said, running a hand through his hair and falling into one of the waiting room chairs. 

MJ nodded and sighed deeply “We just lost all trust they had in us.”

Peter cleared his throat gently, making MJ turned and Tony look up. Tony smiled weakly and stood to wrap Peter in a hug. “Hey, bud. How are you feeling?”

Peter wrapped his arms around his father-figure, using him to stand as the girls left his side. “I’m better. And… I heard all of that.”

Tony and MJ tensed and looked at each other. “Kid… they’re just upset right now.”

“I know. I’m going to go talk to them.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, cucciolo. They’re not really in the right mind to talk,” Tony tried. 

“Dad, it has to be done.”

Tony looked helpless. “At least take MJ with you?” 

Peter shook his head. “No, I need to do this alone.”

“... fine. Please call us down if anything goes wrong.” Tony stated, like the worried dad he is.

“I will.” 

Tony nodded, placing a long kiss to Peter’s forehead and wrapping him in one last tight hug. “I’m so sorry, bambino. I know that wasn’t how you wanted the reveal to go.”

Peter nodded slowly and took a deep breath into Tony’s shoulder, embracing comfort while he could. Tony unwrapped himself from Peter and gently led him over to MJ’s waiting arms. As soon as she grabbed him, Wanda, Natasha, and Tony left the room, leaving the couple alone.

Before MJ could say anything, Peter kissed her passionately. He then grabbed her face firmly in his hands and looked her dead in the eye. “It’s not your fault. This is my choice, not your’s or Tony’s. Don’t let them get into your head, okay? I’m okay. Things are going to be fine. I’m not leaving you.”

MJ nodded rapidly and buried her head in his shoulder, shoulders shaking as she wept quietly. Peter rubbed her back slowly and pulled her close. MJ rarely got like this. Only when her insecurities and fears overtook her. 

She couldn’t handle people shouting at her that Peter would die because of her, or because she didn’t do anything to help him. It was the one reoccurring nightmare that kept her up at night and had her constantly question herself.

Contrary to popular belief, MJ could be vulnerable and emotional. That lovely conversation had just brought out every single insecurity and fear she had, and frankly, Peter was furious. He was furious that they made her and Tony feel like it was there fault.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” MJ whispered brokenly into his shoulder, clutching him tightly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he reassured her. They stayed in the hug for a moment longer before MJ let go, still sniffling quietly and now with red-rimmed eyes and blotchy skin.

“Can you help me to Omri?”

MJ nodded and wrapped Peter’s arm around her shoulders. They got moving towards the elevator, and Peter prayed to any god out there that this would be an easy conversation.

  
  


The elevator dinged open. The LDs were all crowded in the living room, various forms of distress on their faces. They all turned towards the sound.

“Hi, guys,” Peter said timidly with a small wave.

“Peter.”

“You’re awake?”

“How are you feeling?”

They all rushed to him like a group of pigeons to bread. MJ gently handed him over to their needy grabs and stepped away, knowing this wasn’t her place.

Peter looked back at her and shot her a frown, asking if she was going to be okay.

She nodded and shot him an unsure smile as the elevator closed in front of her. Peter’s frown stayed on his face, and he took a deep breath.

“Guys, I need to talk to you. All of you,” Peter said. “Let’s go to the couch.”

Nora and Ben hauled him over to the couch and set him gently in the middle of it. The LD’s crowded around him, either on the couch or on the huge mattresses on the floor.

“Where’s Josie?” Peter asked.

“Our room. I’ll go get her,” Alex said as she stood from the couch and walked down the hallway. The others waited awkwardly in uncomfortable silence. Peter rested his head on his knee and closed his eyes.

“You okay?” Alison asked. Peter looked up at her and nodded.

“Still recovering from the poison. As my enhanced healing kicks in, my body gets tired, especially when I don’t eat much,” Peter explained.

The LDs did not look happy with that answer. A door opened down the hall and Alex walked out, pulling Josie by the hand. 

They sat together on the couch, Josie not even looking at Peter as she placed herself on the far end, as far from Peter as possible. Peter scratched his neck awkwardly as the LDs stared at him.

“This isn’t how I want this to go,” he started. “I wasn’t planning on telling you guys when I was poisoned and about to pass out. I had… I had a plan, a good plan too! It just wasn’t necessarily formed yet.

“When I was 14, I got bit by a radioactive spider on a school field trip. I developed powers including super strength, enhanced senses, and enhanced healing. I started being Spiderman before I met Tony. When I started, god I was so dumb. All I had were my web-shooters and my homemade suit. 

“I was nothing, and no one knew until Tony found out. Okay, I’ll admit, inviting a 14-year-old to fight in Germany was not his best plan by far, but so many things have happened because of him taking a chance on me.

“He  _ built  _ me into who I am and has helped me in more ways than I can count, never asking anything in return. The one time he took my suit away trying to keep me safe, I almost died fighting Toomes, my enemy at the time. I never listened-- I still don’t, and nothing Tony or MJ do will stop that. 

“Tony has tried so many times to push me as far away from danger as possible, yet I admittedly run towards it. Please do not blame or yell at him. Every time he sees me in that suit or injured, I see the guilt and the knowledge that he can’t truly stop me, only try to make me as safe as a can be. 

“MJ as well. When she found out I was Spider-man, she didn’t talk to me for a week straight. In that week, she found and burnt the suit so I had to make a new one. She screamed at Dad all month and even tried bargaining with Pepper. 

“MJ tries to avoid talking about it, but I know she hates that she has no power over the situation. I get screamed at monthly because she blames herself and is afraid I’m going to go out there and get myself killed.

“I will say this once. I love you all so much; you are so important to me and have always been there for me. However, you can’t try to hold me back and control my life. I know you’re worried about me and concerned, but I have an amazing support system, including all of you, to back me up when I get into trouble. With great power comes great responsibility, and if I can help people, I will. Um, that’s it,” Peter concluded, fidgeting with his hands.

“Does your spider-ness affect anything else?” Zach asked. Peter nodded and laughed.

“Yea, actually. The reason I’m always cold is that I can’t thermoregulate. I also have allergy-like systems to mint because spiders hate mint. I can stick to walls, I get sensory overloads because of my enhanced senses, and I have an extremely fast metabolism.”

“But you rarely eat,” Charlotte said as she narrowed her eyes at the boy. He gulped and looked away guitlity.

“I may have developed something like an eating disorder, but not intentionally! I mean, I think I’m fine, and I eat enough, but Tony, the Avengers, MJ, Pepper, and Harley are always on my ass about it.”

“Peter, we just want you to know that we’re here for you,” Liam said as he smiled gently at the boy. “And all of us will support you, even if we don’t 100% agree with your choices.”

Peter nodded and yawned loudly. “You guys can ask me more questions whenever you want, but I think we should call it for the night.”

The others agreed, each getting up and hugging Peter tightly and then retreating to their rooms for the night. Josie got up from her place on the couch and went to walk to her room, still refusing to acknowledge Peter.

“Josie, wait!” Peter called as a different LD hugged him. She stopped walking but didn’t turn towards him. “Josie I need to talk to you.”

The last LD gave Peter a large embrace and kiss on the cheek, and then went to her room.

“Josie, can you please say something?” Peter asked desperately.

“Peter, I am not in the right mood to talk about this with you right now,” She said in a fake calmness as she started her trek again. He reached out and grabbed her arm.

“When will be the right time? Please don’t avoid me! You’re… you’re the only sibling I’ve ever had. I don’t want to lose you,” he cried as embarrassing tears tracked down his face. 

“If you want to go down the same route my brother did and get yourself killed, go ahead, Peter. Just don’t force me to care about you. Don’t let me get attached to you only for you to die any day. Don’t drag me down with you, Peter, because I swear to god, I almost broke in half the first time. If I break anymore… there will be nothing left to stitch together,” She said in a heartless, cold tone as she ripped her wrist from his grip.

She walked down the long hall.

“Josie, please,” Peter called as a last attempt.

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore, Parker. Stay away from me.”

  
A door slammed behind her, leaving Peter sobbing on the couch alone. His one sister just cut him out of her life.

Peter shakily stood, fighting the fatigue and made his way to the elevator. The door closed in front of him; Peter’s hiccups racked his body and he fell to the floor by the power of them. Their relationship would never go back to what it was.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Josie struggle to live without each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, since this has been so popular I have decided to make it multiple chapters!! Yay! Hope y'all like it!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Self-harm mentioned at the very end!!!

It fucking hurt. 

Watching and feeling his sister-figure avoid him. A sharp pain filled his chest whenever he saw her leave the floor as soon as he entered. His eyes burned when the rest of the LDs finally accepted the fact that he was Spider-man and welcomed him back as a friend with open arms and she didn’t.

And thank god for fucking Parker luck because what would he do without the constant nightmares and spikes of anxiety. 

Peter woke up to a raw throat,  _ again.  _ His chest seized as he tried to get a good breath in. 

“Please, please,” Peter whispered as he curled into himself. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself, probably leaving bruises he would find in the morning. Tonight, he watched as Josie got crushed under a building and refused to let him save her.

_ “Let me rest with my brother,” She had said. Her legs and stomach were hidden somewhere under the rubble, but blood could be seen seeping from her chest and head. _

_ “No, I can save you. Let me save you!” Peter cried desperately as he reached a hand out for her. _

_ “By a liar like you? Never. And you know what, Parker? It will be your fault. Just like Ben and May. You killed us all.” _

Not the most pleasant dream. Usually, Peter would just go to Josie for comfort. They would cuddle, she would reassure him that she was fine, and then all would be better in the morning. But now… she would never allow that.

Peter hiccuped and rubbed fiercely at his eyes. He had to do something. Peter urged himself out of bed and to the elevator.

The elevator doors opened and Peter stepped warily Omrikon. Peter looked around the floor and then, like the super sneaky spy he was, crept towards the hall. Since it was around 1 in the morning, nobody was around except for a few LDs on the couch working on their laptops. Fortunately, they didn’t notice the small boy slip by.

Peter walked past countless rooms until his feet brought him to Josie’s door. Tears escaped his eyes as he looked brokenly at the closed door. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were. Peter rested his head gently on the door and took a deep breath.

This was as close as he was going to get. 

Peter slid down next to the door against the wall and leaned back. He brought his knees up and rested his head gently on them. For now, this will do. 

It was going to be a long night.

He was glad MJ wasn’t here, she would yell at him (gently of course) and force him back to bed. The dreams still plagued his mind and Peter absolutely wanted to scream. Wanted to scream at himself, at Josie, and at the world.

Footsteps approached and Peter lifted his head slightly. 

“Bambino, what are you doing?” Tony whispered as he crouched in front of his son. Peter looked away, blinking the tears that were coming back. Peter elected to not to respond.

“You know, guarding her door isn’t going to get her to talk to you. It’s kind of stalkery,” Tony whispered, trying to make a joke. Peter didn’t laugh.

“I’m tired of feeling like this,” Peter mumbled into his knee. Tony looked at him sympathetically and brought a hand to caress Peter’s cheek. Peter leaned into the touch and finally let a sob escape his lips.

“Oh baby, come here.”   
  


Peter all but jumped into Tony’s open arms. The older man caught him easily and pulled him close. It sucked that Peter and Josie were in pain right now. Tony hoped it was temporary.

“I know bambino, I know.”

Peter wept into Tony’s shoulders and grasped the man’s shirt tightly in his fists.

“Why don’t we go back up before we wake anyone, okay?” Tony suggested. Peter nodded wearily. Together, with Peter clinging tightly to Tony’s arm, they made it back up to their floor. Tony led Peter back to his and Pepper’s room, where Pepper was currently sleeping.

When they entered the room, Peter blushed madly and took a step back.

“I’m not 5, Dad,” Peter muttered, rubbing his arm self-consciously.

“I know, but you need to sleep, and we both know that won’t happen if you’re alone. Besides, Pepper misses her cuddle buddy,” Tony said easily as he pushed Peter into the room.

Being the light sleeper she was, the noise woke Pepper up. The goddess herself looked up and smiled sleepily when she saw Peter. She rolled to face the middle of the bed and opened her arms for Peter.

After a moment of hesitation, Peter slowly crawled onto the bed and slotted himself into Pepper’s arms. Pepper closed her arms around him and pulled him close to her, kissing his forehead lightly. 

“Mom,” Peter whispered tiredly. 

“Sleep,” she said back. Peter felt a hand comb through his hair and he relaxed into the touch. Tony pressed a kiss to the back of his head and rolled away, knowing Peter didn’t want to be absolutely crushed.

Surrounded by both his parents, Peter was able to drift off to sleep.

___________________________________

Peter woke up the next morning to find Tony and Pepper gone. He opened his eyes blearily and wrapped the blankets further around himself. It was cold for his spider ass. After a minute of contemplating thermoregulation and why it sucked, Peter got out of bed. He stole one of Tony’s jackets and exited the room. 

The common room was peaceful. Sam, Natasha, and Bucky sat next to each other on the couch watching some random tv show. Wanda was sleeping on the couch, curled into Clint’s side as he quietly talked with Bruce about different types of tea. Peter looked to the kitchen and saw Steve making breakfast while Tony and Pepper were standing near the coffee machine flirting and laughing. 

“Peter, come,” Wanda said tiredly as she reached for him with grabby hands. He complied and laid down next to her on the couch. He heard her hum happily as she threw part of the blanket over him. He snuggled further into his arms, trying to keep his mind off his other sister-figure. 

Peter didn’t know when he fell asleep, but he woke up sometime later to the smell of heavenly sweet pancakes. 

“Breakfast!” Steve called from the kitchen. As with all the Avenger meals, massive plates were set in the middle of the table. Today, it was pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fruit. Peter took his seat and looked around, huh…

“Where’s Dad?” Peter asked as he put a pancake onto his plate. 

“He’s just dealing with last-minute business, don’t worry kid,” Clint said passively. The other Avengers looked… weird. Expressions of guilt and relief were on their faces, an interesting combination in Peter’s opinion.

“Okay,” Peter said with a shrug as he drizzled syrup onto his pancake. He would figure it out later.

________________________________________

“So why did you want to talk to me?” Josie asked as she twirled her spoon in her bowl lazily. Tony leaned onto the table and raised an eyebrow. Really? She was going to play that game?

Josie got his message as was obvious by the flush on her face.

“Are you going to eat?” Tony asked.

“Probably not,” Josie replied easily, not looking at him.

“Look, Jo, I can see what’s going on with you now that you’ve elected to ignore Peter, which has broken his heart by the way.”

“Tony I-”

“I’m not done,” Tony cut her off cooly. She glared at him but then turned to look back at her bowl of cereal.

“Peter has been having nightmares every night. I always find him in front of your door, crying. He doesn’t sleep unless someone is with him. He is suffering. My son and your brother is suffering.”

“He’s not my brother,” Josie whispered harshly as her fists clenched tightly, one around the spoon and the other on her jacket.

“Fine, he’s not. But obviously he’s something to you. I know you stopped taking your medication a few months ago since you’ve been feeling better, but now-”

“Stop,” Josie said in a deadly quiet voice as she raised her glare again.

“You stay in your room all day, never go down to the floors, and don’t eat. The LDs are worried. I’m worried. No one has the heart to tell Peter how fucked up you are right now. He would blame himself, but it’s not his fault. It’s all of ours. It’s because of a lack of communication between us, a lack of trust, and mostly a fear of one of you getting hurt.

“We need to get past this god awful stage in our lives and move on. I know it hurts, trust me  _ I know _ . Please, just try again. Try to make amends with Peter.”

“I can’t,” Josie cried as rubbed her face vainly. “I can’t.”

“Josie, I know you don’t want to be put back onto your antidepressants, but as your medical proxy, I will do it if you keep getting worse. If you don’t want to see Peter, fine. But you need to find some way to get yourself out of this hole. Let us help you,  _ please _ .” Tony said as he grabbed her hands in his.

Josie shook and cried for a moment, clutching Tony like a lifeline.

“Please try, for all of us,” Tony whispered to her. She nodded and struggled to keep her breath under control. Tony moved next to her and wrapped her in a hug. Hopefully, everything would be okay.   
  
  


2 days later, Tony was forced to put her back on antidepressants when she tried to slit her wrists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! How should I continue with this?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Josie see each other... it doesn't go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all!! Quicker update than usual! I got some AMAZING suggestions in the comments and used some to write this chapter! Thank you all so much for your support!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Self-harm scars

Sleep deprivation was Peter’s best friend, which is probably why he shouldn’t have been on the floors. MJ had heavily spoken against it and so had Tony. 

But they didn’t understand. Peter needed something to do. Something to keep his mind off of… current events. And Peter also had a small chance to get a glimpse of Josie. Very unlikely though. He hadn’t seen her in days.

So, just like every Tuesday, Peter got home from school and headed up to the labs. MJ was with him.

“Why don’t we get a snack or something?” MJ asked as she moved to squeeze Peter’s hand. He had been off today. More tired than usual and that was saying something. She was tired too. 

MJ had slept over last night, but there wasn’t actually a lot of sleeping. Peter tossed and turned all night, screams waking him up every hour. She held him as he babbled tirelessly about random things. Guilt. Pain. Exhaustion. Loss. 

It hurt to hear, but as a friend to both sides, it hurt even more to _ see _the effects it left. Every day, MJ contemplated telling Peter what was happening with Josie, yet she was afraid of what he would do. 

That led to their current predicament.

“Babe, maybe you shouldn’t go down to the floor today,” MJ said gently as she laid her head on Peter’s shoulder. He didn’t respond. “Peter?”

“Hm?” He murmured after a few moments. “Oh, I’m fine, don’t worry.”  


Yea, totally reassuring.

The door opened in front of them, showing a floor full of scientists. 

“I’ll be fine. I’ll see you tonight,” Peter said as he kissed her forehead and rushed out. The elevator closed behind him. MJ sighed, it was going to be a long night and she knew something was going to go wrong sooner rather than later.

____________________________

Peter entered the floor and immediately regretted it. 

At once, people crowded him and asking for help. He groaned internally as he politely told them he was busy and walked away. 

He kept walking until he was near the current chemistry projects going on. That was what he said he was going to help out with today. 

Unfortunately, it turned out he wasn’t the only person assigned to that area today. Peter saw the back of Josie’s head from where he stood. Goddammit. Peter sighed and trudged on, making sure to avoid even looking in her direction.

“Hey, Diana. Show me what you’ve got going on today,” Peter said to one of the scientists as he leaned over her desk. He could almost feel Josie tense as she heard his voice.

“Oh, hi, Peter! Well, I am trying to make a new disinfectant for Dr. Cho. I am using Chlorine and another element but I’m not sure what to make it synthesize properly. I have tried different ones but none seem to work,” Diana explained.

Peter looked at the elements she had used and smiled sloppily. “Don’t worry, Diana, I know what you should use, lemme go get it.”

He danced over to the elements room and grabbed the bottle he was looking for. The cap came off easily and he walked over to pour some into her petri dish.

“What is that, Peter,” Diana asked curiously. 

“Sodium,” he replied easily. 

“That doesn’t look like…” 

“Peter don’t!” Josie cried from somewhere behind him. 

Peter felt a hand wrap around his waist, pulling him away from the desk. Vaguely, Peter heard a loud explosion from behind. That couldn’t be good. He fell roughly to the floor, someone laying on him to protect him. 

He looked sideways and saw Diana laying next to him, looking terrified and confused. A moment later, the body got up. Diana got to her feet while Peter was _ pulled _to his by a rough hand on the back of his jacket.

He was flipped around to stare at Josie’s red, angry face. This is the first time he had _ seen _her in a week or so. He averted his eyes.

“What the fuck do you think you were doing?” She demanded as she let go of his shirt and pushed him slightly away from her.

“I was helping Diana,” Peter explained, still not meeting the fiery gaze.

“By putting potassium on her chloride?” Josie yelled. Gosh, she was angry.

“I thought it was sodium,” Peter whispered tiredly. This was their first conversation, and it was all aggression and arguing. 

“I’m sorry.” For more than one thing.

“You don’t get to say sorry,” Josie said, pointing accusingly at him. “You could have gotten someone or yourself hurt!”  


“I know,” Peter said as tears crowded his eyes. 

_ Please, please stop yelling at me. Let me say I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. _

“What’s your excuse this time?” She asked as she crossed her arms. He flinched at that one.

“Um… haven’t really been sleeping… more nightmares than usual.”

Her eyes softened for a moment before hardening again. “I. Don’t. Care. Don’t bring your problems to work again.”

Fuck, the tears started pouring then. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. She needed to know.

“So you’ve said.”

He looked up slightly and saw her exposed arms. With… bandaids on them? Was she… no, she wouldn’t… would she?

“Josie, why are your wrists wrapped?” Peter asked carefully. He saw her eyes widen like a deer caught in headlights and moved to cover them. She inhaled sharply.

“Nothing. None of your concern. I better go,” Josie said quickly as she tried to make her way past him. He stepped in front of her.

“Don’t run from me,” he pleaded. She froze and looked away, ashamed.

“I have to go,” she said again yet she didn’t move. Peter looked around, this wasn’t the place to do this. He put a hand on her back and led them to an empty room. She had yet to say anything else, an extreme contrast to her outbursts a minute ago.

Peter took ahold of Josie’s wrist and turned it upward.

“You don’t want to see that,” She warned through teary eyes. He looked her straight in the eye. 

“I need to know what’s going on with you. Even if you don’t care about me, I still care about you.”

Josie examined him for a moment before nodding slightly and looking away. Peter turned his attention back to her wrist. Ever so slowly, he peeled away the bandages. Little angry red cuts littered her wrists.

“You relapsed… because of me,” Peter said quietly, a wave of emotion approaching him like a tsunami. She didn’t deny it, only squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to witness his pain.

“This is my fault.” Peter gasped a slight sob ripping from his throat. “I’m sorry I’m so so sorry. You were right. Stay away from me, please. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”

The end sounded more like a scream of anguish.

“Peter…” Josie whispered as she reached out for him. He recoiled from her touch and took a step towards the door. 

“Oh my God. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I should go. I’m gonna, I’m gonna go. Sorry for… sorry.”

He took off and ran out of the room, hearing faint cries behind him. He didn’t stop until he was in the elevator. He headed straight up to his room and locked it down under Protocol Tron. No one was able to enter his room when he said that protocol.

He sat, curled up in a corner of the room, sobbing into his knees, and beyond exhaustion. He didn’t stop crying when he heard Tony’s voice try to lure him out and tell him, no, he didn’t hurt everyone around him. Nor he leave when MJ’s voice joined Tony’s and told him he was loved. He didn’t move when every single Avenger was in front of his door, all trying different ways to get out. 

He just wanted to be alone, where he couldn’t hurt anyone else. 

He fell asleep in the same spot, waking up an hour later screaming from a nightmare.

The process repeated, Tony even resorted to getting his blasters and trying to shoot the lock off. All in vain. Peter couldn’t sleep or stop crying.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he thought of Josie’s wrists and the pain on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed... or em are sticking with it till the happier and fluffier stuff!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josie realizes exactly what she lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know I said this chapter was going to be fluffier but... I lied sorry!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Mentions of suicide, attempted suicide, depression, and self-harm

3 days. 

Peter had been in his room for 3 days. No one had gotten in and he hasn’t left. He hasn’t eaten anything substantial in 3 days either. All he had were little snacks gathered around his room, and they didn’t even know if he was eating them. Dr. Cho estimated he had lost at least 6-9 pounds. 

They heard his screams every hour and his constant sobs. It was the only way they knew he was still alive. Over dehydrated was a nice term to use. It was past the point of “just let him cry it out, he’ll be okay”. It was at the point of “he is going to die soon and he _wants _to if we don’t get him out."

MJ hadn’t moved from beside his door. She never stopped talking to him, even as her throat ran raw and she could barely get any sound out. She continued. Tears streaked down her face and she barely kept the emotion out of her voice as she begged him to leave the room.   
  


Tony had left, but only for brief amounts of time to get different tools. He had been trying to break down the door since day 1. He tried to override the code, so did Ned, but Tony had made it near indestructible. He got angry, opposite of MJ. MJ, who’s eyes were glassed over as she spoke. MJ who was trying to save a boy that could be called suicidal at the moment. MJ who just wanted everything to get better again.

They weren’t the only ones sticking around. Harley was right next to MJ the entire time, holding her hand and resting his head on her shoulder. He  _ knew  _ she needed to feel like she was helping someone. Making someone feel better.

Wanda and Natasha sat across from them against the opposite wall. The one boy Natasha thought of like a son, the one who had wormed his way into her heart was killing himself slowly. They were all there to witness it. And Wanda, who was finally getting a brother back was now losing him and could do nothing. She had just got back from SHIELD testing that made her magic beyond exhausted. Anything she tried could land her in a coma if she didn't give her magic time to rebound.

The other Avengers and family filtered through whenever they could. Pepper had to continue to run the company and the others had to keep the hallway residents healthy enough. Pepper came by whenever she wasn’t working; even when she was, she brought her laptop with her and sat next to MJ or Tony. 

Steve, Bucky, and Sam had taken over cooking and making sure the others were comfortable. They couldn’t sit still like the others. They were soldiers and when something was wrong, a soldier had to  _ move.  _

The LDs on Omrikon weren’t having much better luck with Josie. Fortunately for them, Josie couldn't lock down her room like Peter. The LDs had made a rule that 2 must stay with her at all times. 

Josie fluctuated between crying, sleeping, screaming, and trying to kill herself. She tried to cut her wrists open, Alex and Noah barely got to her in time. She tried to walk off the top of the tower. Liam tackled her to the ground and sobbed into her shoulder as she stared blankly over his shoulder.

They had taken to keeping her in her room. Someone constantly with her. Everyone on both sides was losing sleep and hope.

__________________________________

“Ms. Presington, I do believe it is time to take your medication,” FRIDAY called through the ceiling. Josie didn’t move from her position on the bed.

“Ms. Presington, please, I insist. You will not get better if-”

“I’m not going to get better FRIDAY,” Josie mumbled into her sheets. “Not this time.”

FRIDAY was quiet for a moment, contemplating how to respond. She was never programmed for a situation like this but she knew that this had some correlation to Peter’s current condition. Maybe she just had to remind them of what exactly they were giving up.

“Ms. Presington-- Josie. I have something to show you,” FRIDAY said as she started projecting a video from the ceiling. Josie didn’t move.

_ “You ready, Peter?” Mr. Stark called through the recording. _

_ “I don’t know, Mr. Stark,” Peter confessed.  _

Josie looked up at the sound of his voice. The recording showed Peter and Tony on one of the conference floors, standing in front of a pair of doors.

_ “Kid, they’ll love you, don’t worry. Besides, you’re not meeting all of them right now, just one.” _

Josie’s heart clenched. This was their first meeting. Josie watched as Tony clapped a reassuring hand onto Peter’s shoulder and led him into the room. This was so early in Peter and Tony's relationship. They were barely comfortable with each other yet. The camera feed switched to inside the room.

_ Josie was standing, facing away from the door. It looked like she was working on a slideshow. T _ _ ony cleared his throat and Josie turned around. A smile instantly lit her face. _

Josie watched with sad eyes. If only they could start over… no. Peter didn’t want that. And neither did she, at least, that was what she was trying to convince herself.

_ Josie approached the duo. Peter watched her with doe eyes. _

_ “Hey, I’m Josie! Nice to meet you!” Josie said as she stuck her hand out for the boy. He took it, a shy smile appearing on his face. _

_ “Josie here is Delta Lab Director, but I’m trying to convince her to move up to Gamma. The advanced scientists need a strong chemistry Lab Director.” Tony said with a smirk. Josie rolled her eyes and missed the way Peter’s eyes opened in excitement. _

_ “I love chemistry!” Peter said. “Most people have a favorite element, but I don’t! I love them all! It’s so fun to mix them and witness their reactions! And-” _

_ Josie giggled slightly. “I think we’re going to be friends, Peter.” _

_ Peter blushed slightly but the grin on his face was genuine. “Me too.” _ __   
  


Josie didn’t realize the tears etching her face until a wet drop fell onto her finger. She reached up to wipe her eyes. 

_ “Josie!” Peter called as he ran onto one of the Gamma floors. Josie looked up from her tablet to the animated boy now out of breath in front of her. _

_ “Look what I made! It’s a portable element balance!” Peter said as he pulled it from his pocket.  _

_ “How does it work?” She asked as she took it from him and examined it. He then launched into a long explanation of it, Josie listening with rapid focus. _

They used to have many moments like this. One would make something new and then rush to show the other. Josie sobbed as the memories flooded in.

“FRIDAY, what are you doing?” She whispered as she clutches her head tightly. 

“You were his first friend at the tower. Although I do not have human emotions, I know you feel as though you have lost him. The fact is, however, that you will never lose him. Peter needs you, Josie, as you need him.” FRIDAY said. Alas, another recording started.

_ The camera angle shows Josie curled on her bed, not unlike now. It was dark in the room. West could be seen sleeping in his bed as well. Peter entered the room quietly and shut the door behind him. _

_ He quietly crept over to her and peered to see her face. The camera didn't pick anything strange up, but Peter sighs and crawls into bed next to her.  _

_ “You know… it’s okay to not be okay,” he whispered as he wraps himself around her.  _

_ “Peter,” Her broken voice answered. _

_ “It’s okay to cry, Jo. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to be mad at the world, but please, don’t be alone,” he said urgently.  _

Josie stared at the video. She didn’t really remember this that well. This point in her life was fuzzy.

_ Quiet sobs suddenly broke out. Josie moved to bury her face in Peter’s chest. _

_ “I miss him,” she gasped. Even in the dark, her entire body could be seen shivering and shaking. _

_ “I know, I know you do. He’ll always be with you.” _

_ Nor Peter or Josie said anything else. The room was filled by cries. _

Even though the video ended in pain it demonstrated hope and a fact. The fact that Peter would always be there for her. A new recording appeared.

_ Peter stood in the middle of the hall, very dead-like. The whole tower had heard the news, yet no one had truly believed it yet. Josie slowly approached him. _

_ “Peter?” Josie called. _

_ “She’s dead,” Peter said emotionlessly. “May’s dead.” _

_ A quiet hiccup came from the boy. _

_ “I can’t, I can’t live without her.”  _

_ Peter collapsed to his knees. Josie rushed to his side, hearing every forced breath and pained gasp he took. _

_ “Peter, listen to me. You need to take a breath. I know it hurts, more than anything else in the world. But you are on the edge of a panic attack and I know both of us don’t want that,” She whispered to him as she wrapped herself around his back. _

_ She pressed her chest to his back, holding his weight in her arms, and took exaggerated breaths. He struggled in her hold for a moment before eventually becoming pliant and working with her. _

_ “Good. You’re doing so good, Peter.” _

_ He nodded tiredly as he continued to wheeze his breath in and out. Fat tears ran down his face. Josie pressed a long kiss to the side of his head as she slid them into a sitting position. He turned towards her, trying to find something to say, but settled on burying his face into the crook of her neck and weeping loudly. _

_ She curled around him, trying to protect him from the pain of the world. _

  
“We were always there for each other … and when he needed me I wasn’t,” Josie reflected. “God, FRIDAY what have I done?”   
  


Every video.

_ “Hey, Josie do you want to watch a movie tonight?” _

_ “I’m having a really hard time, Jo, I don’t know what to do.” _

It drilled into her like a knife.

_ “Peter, if this keeps happening you need to tell me so I can stop it.” _

_ “I know you’re scared, I’m scared too.” _

She promised. Promised she would-

“...  _ always be there for you, Peter. No matter what.” _

Josie shot out of bed, panting, out of breath. How could she abandon him? Especially when he needed her the most? It wasn’t right. She needed to fix this.

“FRIDAY send me up to Alpha.”  
  


___________________________

Peter didn't want to face the world anymore. He didn’t know if he ever would. All he did was bring pain and loss to the people he loved.

He heard MJ’s frantic talking nonstop. He heard Tony’s reassurances that everything would be okay, even as his voice cracked. He heard Steve and Sam force Natasha and Wanda to eat because “if Peter’s not, then neither are we”. He heard Pepper’s keyboard click as she typed rapidly, trying to address why no one had seen or heard from her or Tony for days. He heard all their pain because of him.

All he wanted to do was apologize for being such a fuck-up. He hadn’t moved in three days. He felt himself become weak and felt hunger gnaw through him. Good, he deserved the pain. 

Something different was happening right now, however. Unfamiliar footsteps could barely be heard through the door. Who?

“Josie?” MJ asked in astonishment, voice hoarse. 

Oh no. She couldn’t be here right now. She couldn’t.

“Peter Benjamin Parker, open the door right now,” Josie demanded in a strong voice. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing her away.

“Open the door!” She yelled. Peter flinched, not wanted to upset her more and rose to his feet. He didn’t think it would be as hard as it was to stand, yet he fell the minute he stood. His body was weak and everything was foggy.

“FRIDAY,” he wheezed. “End Protocol Tron.”

The door clicked open and, suddenly, his room burst into life. Josie, Tony, and MJ ran in with the rest of the Avengers, Harley, and Pepper standing by the door. Josie gaped slightly when she saw him.

“Peter, what have you done?” She asked in a fearful voice.

He looked awful. His hair was greasy and black bags circled his eyes. That wasn’t the worst part, however. The worst part was how  _ thin  _ he was. He had lost all plumpness and life in his face, skin stretched tightly now, arms bonier than before, and collarbone practically sticking out from the rest of his body. He was extremely pale, with a defeated look on his face.

“I can’t get up,” He responded, ignoring her question. 

“Oh, bambino,” Tony said with glossy eyes.

“Damn it Pe-” MJ croaked and then coughed. She rubbed her throat in vain before shaking her head. It seems like her voice had finally given out on her.

“Med Bay, now,” Tony said as he effortlessly picked Peter up in his arms. “Josie, you can talk to him once he’s been looked at, okay?”   
  


She nodded and Tony practically sprinted out of the room. MJ stayed, however, and stared at Josie with soft yet calculating eyes. Then, nodded appreciatively and wrapped the other in a hug.

“What did I do,” Josie murmured over and over again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly thought this was going to be fluff! And then I was writing it and was like... yea it's not making the cut. Anyway, hope y'all are still alive out there with dry eyes (not).


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They figured shit out. And finally what you've all been waiting for...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! I know it's been a long time since my last update, I sincerely apologize! I've been very uninspired and busy! But, I went through and was reading all of your lovely and kind comments and feel a deep urge to finish and make you all proud! Thanks for sticking with me this long to finish and for your endless support!

Peter really had to stop waking up to the sound of beeping. He attempted to open his eyes, it was really bright in this room. Hospitals are always bright. 

“Oh look, he’s awake,” Tony said. Peter didn’t look towards the voice, too ashamed of previous actions. 

“Fine, if you don’t want to talk to me then you’re gonna talk to MJ.”

Shit, Tony was fucking pissed. This was going to take a long time to fix. Peter sighed inwardly and mentally prepared for the hell his girlfriend was about to rain down on him. Peter listened to the shuffling of chairs and then the opening of a door. Tony’s heavy footsteps slowly faded out as MJ’s softer and more careful ones entered.    
  


She didn’t say anything; he didn’t really expect her too. She crawled into the bed and gently lifted his head up. He obliged and she settled his head into her lap. He sighed happily as she carded her hands through his hair. This was unexpected.

She leaned over him and gazed down. Slowly, he brought his eyes to meet her. She kissed his head softly.

“My beautiful boy.”

Her voice was shot, and Peter could barely make out the words she was trying to say. A loud slap was heard. Peter gasped as a sharp sting hit his cheek. There is was. MJ had just slapped it. He looked up in shock and hurt only to feel wet droplets falling onto his face. MJ was crying silently as she brought her forehead against his.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again.”

The tears were coming down like a harsh rainstorm. 

“Please, please, please.”

He reached up to gently grab the side of her face. “I won’t, I won’t… I’m sorry.”

“No,” She said. “No more apologizing. Okay? Next time, you talk to me or someone else. No more holding it all in.”

“Okay,” he agreed. She sat back up and moved to lay next to him.

“I am going to feed you till you’re fat,” she whispered as she settled against his chest and ran her hand over is bony, sunk-in stomach.

“Not possible,” he said back as he wrapped an arm around her. They laughed together. It was nice to have a moment of regularity in the few weeks of hell.

“You know, she’s waiting to talk to you.”

And the moment was ruined. Peter nodded and pressed his lips to MJ’s forehead.

“I know.”

“You need to shower first though, you smell.”

  
  


MJ helped him into the hospital room’s small shower and then hopped in with him. He leaned heavily into her arms and wrapped his arms around her waist as she washed his hair for him. Continuously, he pressed small kisses onto her skin as apologizes and promises. 

She didn’t indulge in them, however, and focused on getting him clean. Once she was done, she helped him change.

“Now or later?” She asked with the croaky voice. He knew what she was referring to.

“Now. Better get it over with,” he said with a shrug. She nodded proudly and rolled over a wheelchair for him to sit in. He laughed loudly and shook his head.

“No way, MJ. I’m not sitting in that thing.”

2 minutes later, a very pouty Peter, with his arms crossed over his chest, was being rolled down the hospital wing, pushed by a gleeful MJ. They got to the end of the hall where the rest of the Avengers were sitting. 

Some of them were quietly conversing, others were sleeping for the first time in days. Peter’s eyes found Josie, who was speaking to Tony in hushed whispers as she made subtle gestures. He listened with full attention to whatever she was saying and would comment every now and then.

MJ cleared his throat and the room looked over to the pair. God this felt like Deja vu. 

“Peter,” Pepper said in relief as she stood gracefully from her chair next to Tony and wrapped her son in a bone-crushing hug. The others followed her example and filed around, each giving Peter their own hug and threat to never scare them like that again.

Josie stayed seated, waiting for the crowd to dissipate. 

Eventually, everyone, save Peter, Josie, and Pepper had left. MJ and Tony, who were part of the main argument, knew they wouldn’t do any good to be in the middle of this situation any longer, especially now that MJ could barely speak.

Pepper had decided to moderate the conversation, because someone had to after their last attempts, and led the two downstairs to a vacant living room that was generally used when the therapist came to the tower to speak to whoever, whether it be LDs, scientists, interns, or residents, needed them.

Pepper sat in the chair across from the couch, while Peter and Josie settled uncomfortably next to each other on the couch.

“Okay, let’s get started. Are you two mentally able to have this conversation right now, or should we save this until a later time? Please, be honest,” Pepper said. Peter squirmed slightly yet gave a confirmation; after a moment, Josie did the same.

“Okay then. I think you two will know where is the best starting place for this conversation. Maybe at the beginning. Remember though, we are here to do more good than harm,” Pepper said in a kind tone.

Josie cleared her throat uncomfortably and both pairs of eyes turned towards her. “I know the way I reacted wasn’t fair to you. I know you’re not Tim. I guess in my mind I just… replaced him with you and it felt like I was reliving what happened with him.

“I met you a few months after he passed and I was so happy to have a little brother again. At first, I didn’t accept his death, and, as you witnessed, it caught up with me in later months. I didn’t want that to happen with you so I kind of… I kind of set my mind that you were already gone? If that makes sense, I guess. 

“But I was wrong, FRIDAY, and the explosion in the lab, made me realize that. I love you so much, Peter. I should have fought harder for our relationship and to understand you're point of view. I shouldn’t have let you think that my mental illness was your fault. It’s not. It never was and it never will be. I’m… I’m so sorry. I want to rebuild our relationship.”   
  


She kept her eyes trained on the coffee table as she spoke, even as tears blurred her vision. 

“Thank you, Josie,” Pepper said with a smile and then turned to look at Peter. He went to grab Josie’s hand but froze. He looked towards his mom as to what to do, and she nodded encouragingly.

Slowly, as if breaking through an amber wall, Peter reached out to Josie and put his hand over hers’. Her breath hitched for a moment and she stared at their overlapping hands. She threaded her fingers through his and took another sigh of relief. His form relaxed as well as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Josie, I understand how you feel. I know how hard it is to lose someone and to have to cope with it on top of having a mental illness. It fucking sucks,” he said with a watery laugh. A small smile lit her face for a second. It was the most anyone had seen from her in weeks.

“I can’t use the excuse that I was going to tell you eventually. I should have told you earlier. I was lying to you. It hurt both of us in unseen ways, like how I could never tell you what my nightmares were really about or how I could never share my cool patrol stories with you. But, things are going to be different now.  I have a tendency to blame myself for anything that goes wrong and keep it inside if you haven’t noticed.”

“We have,” Josie said with an exaggerated eye roll, making a genuine smile appear on Peter’s face.

“My point is I need to communicate with you, with everyone better next time, and try to solve the issue before shutting down. I’m sorry, again. I knew how much this was going to hurt you but I was too selfish to do anything about it.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered as she squeezed his hand slightly. “I think there’s blame to go around.”

He smiled at that and risked leaning into her side. She reciprocated without hesitation. 

“Well, I didn’t do much, but my work here is done. Peter, are you coming up with me?” Pepper asked as she stood from the chair.

“No, I’m going to go done with Josie, if that’s okay with you?” Peter said, the last part directed at Josie. Josie nodded and helped him stand. Pepper smiled softly and kissed both of their foreheads. 

“I’m glad you two are better, now, get some rest. It’s been a long few weeks.”

The duo nodded and headed to Omri as soon as she left. The ride down was comfortable as they silently appreciated each other’s presence. The LDs on the floor were scattered, all looking panicked and some on the verge of hysteria.

“Alex, we checked all the bathrooms and the roof and we didn’t find her,” Anne said. Alex sighed and rubbed her head. “Check again.”

“Um, guys. What are you doing?” Josie asked as she and Peter walked onto the floor. The movement stopped.

  
“Found her!” Liam called, making Alex smack him harshly. They looked suspiciously between the pair.

“Everything okay?” They asked. Josie turned to look at Peter and smiled.

“Yea, we’ve worked out some stuff.”

Peter nodded in confirmation.

“Okay,” Alex said. “The rest of us are going to go do… something. Bye!”

The LDs, with Alex’s encouragement, swiftly left the room, leaving the pair alone. Josie hauled Peter to her room and laid him down on the bed next to her. She didn’t waste any time in pulling him close to her chest and cocooning him with her arms. Peter snuggled further under her chin and towards the body heat.

“I missed this,” he whispered after a moment of silence. 

“Me too,” she said back.

She pressed a gentle yet meaningful kiss to his forehead and carded her fingers through his messy and still somewhat damp hair. 

“You’ll always be my little brother, you know that?” She asked him after a minute. 

“I know.”

She didn’t respond any further, only pulled the blankets further over them. Peter couldn’t help but melt into the warmth that had been absent for weeks. Josie’s hugs were like a drug, so different from MJ’s and Pepper’s yet just as valuable.

MJ always hugged with a purpose, whether it be to comfort, to protect, or to ground. She always covered as much of his body with hers’ as she could. Usually, she settled on wrapping one arm around his lower-stomach or back while the other either on the back of his head or around his collarbone (depending on if he was facing her or not). 

Pepper’s hugs were usually late-night affairs or in between meetings. The night hugs were generally loose, allowing him to come closer or stray father yet still be connected to her, while the day ones were usually more rushed and therefore, tighter and faster, but with just as much love and consideration.

Josie’s, however, was a combination that she twisted into her own. Josie probably hugged Peter almost, if not equally, as much as MJ. She read his body language and mood and with that would decide how to hug him. Sometimes soft, sometimes tight, sometimes loose, sometimes overwhelming in just the way he needed, but always warm and full of affection and love, just like a sister’s hugs should be. Peter loved her hugs and now, finally back in her arms, was content again.

With the soft warmth surrounding him, Peter drifted into the best sleep he had in weeks.   
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked the ending and until next time or in the comments below!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys liked it! See ya next time or in the comments!


End file.
